Rust Colored Snow
by SpiritOfMetal
Summary: A lovesick Absol and an optimistic Weavile embark on a gritty adventure of forbidden love and gang related misfortunes. In-depth summary inside! Chapter 1 now up! Rated T for future content.
1. Prologue: Part 1

Wind blew snow up from a barren valley, spraying Naira's face with a chill that went to the bone,

The day was coming to an end, the sun splaying its last rays over the snow-scape of half buried conifer trees and shrubs. The snow itself glittered like miniscule diamonds.

Naira loved the winter, the snow, and its ability to transform any landscape into a wonderland of beauty, but on this particular evening she was ridden with gloom and a nerve-racking realization…

Kione was driving her crazy.

Her heart thudded inside of her white furred chest like a Donophan trying to get out of a cage. She could run to the farthest ends of Sinnoh, but never escape these feelings that swirled about in her head like a whirlpool of the sweetest liquids. They made her dizzy and weak, but a thirst for more was what always remained. She could not, for the life of her, get him off of her mind.

Kione, the optimistic, bubbly Weavile was her best friend and had accompanied her on all of her outlandish adventures. They were a great duo, two peas in a pod. Not a moment was boring or at a loss for laughter.

When she had first met Kione, he was a bitty Sneasel that just came up to her chest fluff. She thought he was cute in a puny kind of way, but soon learned that his personality shined brighter then his looks ever would. He was a blast to be around, and that was all that mattered.

Until…

Kione evolved.

At first, Naira thought it was great. His new form seemed to fit his personality more so then his old one. Most importantly, she was happy that he was now happy with himself.

She had always loved his green eyes and bluish gray fur, but the changes that really got to her were subtle. His impressive Weavile head fan and neck tuft were a burnt yellow, but ever so slowly, a green tint worked its way onto the tips of his yellow feathers. They lit his eyes on fire, and the effect was breathtaking. Naira tried to ignored her buddies new looks and resumed acting like she always did around him.

When they both returned to the Frost Village, their clan of other snow dwelling pokemon, they were bushed and needed a rest from adventure. They both agreed to take a hiatus from traveling and settle in with their native people.

That was when it happened.

Naira went about her business, greeting her fellow Absol relatives and other pokemon friends. She even managed to make her own den at the base of an old conifer tree.

She did as she planned and settled in, enjoying the rest from frequent travel and finally being able to ponder the meaning of life next to a crackling fire.

All was well, and Naira could feel her mind beginning to shape into maturity. She was always miffed about her physical appearance, though: her odd burgundy markings between her claws hadn't grown away yet, and that weird gold tint on the tips of her claws, tail, and head spike still remained. She still looked like a curve-less child, in her opinion.

She noticed that she was becoming more and more aware of her appearance and of other pokemons as well.

One day she was making her way across the village in search of some kindling for her den's fire when she heard a bit of snickering in a patch of spruce trees a bit to her left. She immediately recognized that snicker: it was Kione! Her best buddy! Her heart leapt with joy. It had been a while since she had last seen him, and she thought it would be great to catch up with him.

Abandoning her search for kindling, she leapt into the thicket of spruces. She suddenly felt sneaky, and decided to drop into a stalking crouch to try and scare the crap out of him. She followed his faint voice to a clearing in the thicket and was about to pounce when she noticed a second, more feminine voice giggle and chortle.

Her giddiness left her instantly, and a morbid curiosity was left in its place. This shouldn't bother her, no not at all. It was natural for male pokemon to have _other_ female friends…of course it was. She knew she should just turn around and stop meddling in her friends business, but her curiosity overpowered her common sense.

_Who was he with, and why way out here…?_

She lurked in the spruces that surrounded the small clearing until she could see through the needles and branches, but stay hidden.

Her assumption was correct: it was Kione, but this…this creature was different. More mature. His voice was deeper, but still had that hint of a child floating around in it. His eyes were as beautiful as ever. But his body…oh, the sight of it made her cheeks grow red and her mind swim.

Unlike that lanky Weavile she had known before, this one was well muscled. His arms were well toned and sinewy, and his abdominal muscles and chest seemed to shine like the snow he sat in.

She swallowed hastily, wondering why such feelings were flooding her mind. She just couldn't stop staring…he eyes gobbled the sight of him up, almost greedily.

Sitting next to Kione was a stunning Froslass. She had a sweet, melodious voice and curves that accentuated her feminine appeal. Naira's eyes flicked from the Froslass to were its hand was positioned- atop of Kione's.

At that instant, Naira turned from beat red to green. She could feel a poisonous jealousy seething in her chest. A growl almost escaped from her throat. A logical little voice in her mind kept screaming '_Kione is your friend, and you should be happy for his finding in a mate…or something around those lines. Why are you so jealous? Kione is your FRIEND…and it would never work…'_

At that last thought, her pupils contracted and a cold sweat passed over her. Her tail drooped and her heartbeat slowed. Reality had finally hit her. She knew she had feelings for Kione, more then she first thought she ever would have. Plus, she was awfully jealous…and, worst of all…she knew he didn't, and _never_ would have any kind of feelings towards her besides friendship. She was well aware of how she looked, and how Kione _now _looked. He was _way_ out of her league. Not to mention that he was a biped and she was stuck on all four paws. Her village had strict rules about relationships with different pokemon species- 'As long as your mate can stand on the same legs, you are forsaken to love.' That meant, plain and simple: your mate had to at least look similar, or be of the same type. She knew that her and Kione shared a type, Dark, but the vast differences in looks would never fly.

The only thing she could be for Kione was a friend.

Tears welled in her eyes as she sullenly watched the two chatter, obviously interested in each other and oblivious to the heartbroken watcher.

Kione…oh, how she admired his compassionate personality, his beautiful eyes, and his vibrant looks. She had never seen a Weavile as colorful as him, or known one as nice.

With one last wistful glance towards the couple, she turned and slowly padded back through the spruces, all the while wondering why her heart was aching so badly and why the tears wouldn't stop falling.


	2. Prologue: Part 2

The following days after Nairas discovery didn't get any better.

She seemed to constantly meander in a state of depression, barely talking to anybody and secluding herself inside her den.

She tired to cheer herself up by basking in the sunshine when it peeked out from behind the constant screen of overcast clouds, building snow creatures, climbing trees, even brewing a batch of her favorite beverage: pine needle tea. These remedies proved useless, however, and she continued to sulk around her den.

Her heart still felt raw and tender, and the shock of it all was just beginning to slide away. She never knew where all of these feelings for Kione had come from, but they were real and powerful.

Every time her mind wandered towards the subject of Kione, she slashed the thoughts away by continuously thinking '_It would never, ever work…there is no point in fantasizing!'_ All that tactic seemed to do was pull her deeper in the sticky muck of her depression. She couldn't recall being this depressed in her whole life.

Naira awoke from a restful nights sleep to a sliver of sun alighting her dark den. She stretched, yawned, and noticed that the constant pressure of emotion felt lighter on her heart and mind- almost nonexistent. With new pep, Naira left her den in search of berries to calm her ravenous morning hunger.

While sniffing about in some snow-encased bushes, she felt an odd, warm tingling sensation go all the way up her spine, across her shoulders, and end at the back of her head. She recognized this sensation- it meant that she was picking up a presence, and it wasn't just any pokemons- it was Kione's, and from the intensity of the feeling, he wasn't that far away. She panicked for a moment. '_What should I say? What should I do?!' _Her thoughts were cut short as she heard a shrill shout about 100 yards away. She slowly turned and saw Kione waving his gleaming claws in the air as a greeting. His headdress of feathers caught the suns rays and glowed with a radiance of pure gold. How could she ignore Kione? His gentle and kind spirit was one in a million. Seeing him there and waving at her almost instantly obliterated her previous depression.

Faying shock, she galloped towards him, feeling the winter sun warm her dark colored tail and face. She smiled inwardly, finally cheerful enough to enjoy the suns warmth.

She stopped five paws in front of him, her mouth stretched in a toothy grin. He looked oddly distracted for a moment, but quickly smiled, his emerald eyes shining.

"Hey, Naira! Its been quite a while. I'm glad I saw you when I did," he exclaimed, putting his claws on his hips.

Naira blushed a tad as she tried to not let her eyes dart over his body. She locked her amethyst eyes on his and held them there.

"Kione, my dude, its nice to see you too. Sooo, how about this sunshine? Spectacular, isn't it?" Naira inwardly smacked herself. The weather?! '_What an __**incredible**__ icebreaker…'_

Kione nodded. "Yep, this sun is great. It really makes the snow glitter, and it's a good change from the crappy overcast."

Naira pawed the snow with her claw in agreement.

Kione smiled, then awkwardly scratched the back of his head. He looked at his clawed toes, almost bashfully. Naira stared. Was that a _blush_ she saw alighting his blue-gray fur? She cocked her head. No, it had to be a trick of the sun…although, he was acting strangely. She was about to ask him, concern written on her face, when he opened his mouth to speak.

"W-well, its been nice seeing you, Naira. I wish I had more time to visit, but I have to find some more wood for the fire in my den. You know those fires, constantly hungry for wood…"

Naira plopped her butt in the snow and nodded slowly. What was up with him being so formal? "Yeah…well, adios my friend." She murmured. Was that just his excuse to leave and avoid talking to her?

Kione, sensing the disappointment and concern in her voice, looked up quickly and caught her stare. He was frowning, and looked almost unsure of himself, but his expression was gone in a wink of an eye. He smiled, waved his clawed paw at her, and sprinted off. "Bye!" he called, and disappeared behind a group of spruce before she could get a word in edgewise.

"Bye…" she whispered, her brow furrowed in confusion and disappointment. The cheerfulness that she had felt earlier disappeared as fast as Kione did.

A cloud crept across the sun, and a strong gust of snow howled through the conifer trees. Loneliness clung to her like the icicle forming on her head spike.

* * *

After her and Kione's confrontation, Naira was confused, concerned…she was about every emotion there was. She sought solitude and comfort- looking out over landscapes always seemed to calm her nerves.

So this is were we find her- the barren, snow cased valley lookout.

She was fed up with her whirling emotions, her returning depression, and her mind always returning to the subject of Kione.

She huffed a sign of annoyance and dug her gray claws deeper into the snow. She gritted her sharp teeth together and growled.

She had had _enough_! She wasn't going to let this pathetic sadness get to her any longer, and she was going to grow some cahoonies and confront him and actually have a conversation with him. She was going to ask him about his life, that Froslass, how he was doing, and maybe even tell him her true- no, that was too fast. She would suggest maybe another get-together, and possibly grow closer to him and feel that bond of true friendship again. Everything would be fine. Her odd nervousness seemed to melt away when she was with him, anyway. Everything was gonna be alright.

"But…" she said aloud. _Where would she meet him?_

And idea popped into her head. The stream! Pokemon from her village used it as a source of fresh drinking water yearlong. When she went for a drink around noontime on other occasions, she had seen Kione among the other pokemon gathered at the banks of the stream. Then, she had been too nervous to approach him, but how she knew this would be the perfect spot to do it.

Hunger still knowing at her stomach, she padded back through the snow to a thicket of bushes that looked like they were concealing some berries. Among the bushes, she found a few Rawst berries and downed them greedily. She licked her paws absently and settled down under the bushes, watching the other few pokemon in the area forage for berries. The sun had vanished now, and Naira's eyes grew tired. She rested her head on her crossed paws and closed her eyes. She immediately saw an image of Kione at the stream, his eyes bright and his mouth curved up in a gentle smile, a bit of one of his canines escaping from between his lips. A smile crept across her mouth. She was positive her small plan would work, as long as she kept her wits about her and didn't panic. She breathed a sigh of contentment and let her mind drift into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 1

Holy popsicles, that took **forever** to type. Now I'm all shaky. Whew, I'm glad thats over.

A special thanks to **BekahthePikachu **for reviewing and the kind words!

I hope you enjoy!

~**SpiritOfMetal**

* * *

The next morning, Naira awoke to complete whiteness. She blinked sleepily and cleared the few inches of snow that had fallen during the night out of her eyes.

She lazily scanned her surroundings.

She was still under the Rawst bushes that she had fallen asleep under the night before. A few inches of snow covered her tracks that she made, her whole body, and most of the conifers that surrounded the bushes. The sky was beginning to brighten, and not a cloud was seen in the brightening sky. Cloudless nights were the coldest, but since she was raised in subzero climates, the cold didn't phase her. She was quite comfortable under her blanket of snow.

Her stomach growled. Reluctantly, she shook off her blanket of snow and licked her cold, sticky lips. She had a craving for something sweet…Pecha berries would do. She did a long, catlike stretch and followed a faint scent of Pecha berries that drifted from a cluster of near-by bushes.

After her breakfast of sweet berries, Naira returned to her pine tree den. She nudged aside her improvised door, a thick and sturdy piece of bark, and padded inside.

Her den was cold and dark, She shivered, not from the cold, but from how creepy a living space seemed when nobody was home.

She felt her way to her small fireplace, found her two flint rocks, and struck them together. Large sparks sprayed from the rocks and ignited the little pile of kindling that was lined with paw-sized rocks.

She curled up in front of the crackling fire and watched its flames dance.

"_Today is the day…"_ she thought, her heart speeding up a few beats.

All se had to do was preoccupy herself until the sun was directly overhead.

She clicked her front claws together. "_What to do, what to do…"_

"GAH!" she barked aloud. "_I want it to be noon now!"_

Naira sat up, brainstorming ideas on how to occupy her self. She looked around her den. The smooth dirt floor was packed down and speckles. Her bed of pine needles, leaves, and a blanket she had found close to Snowpoint City were collected neatly in a pile. A worn human made nightstand stood next to her bedding, and a few other pieces of man-made furniture scattered about her den stood silently and neatly. She had came across most of the furniture on outings with Kione, and a few were passed down to her form her family when she choose to move out of their main den.

She sighed. Her den obviously didn't need to be cleaned. " …_But what it could use is a soft, big rug. No den is home without a rug!"_

With that thought, Naira got to her paws and headed towards the door. She was going to look for a rug, or something similar to cover her dirt floor. Anything to keep her mind busy and her nerves calm.

* * *

Naira spent most of her morning roaming around the snow hills near Snowpoint city, looking for fabric in abandoned dumpsters, startling a few shabby looking Rattata. They looked cold and hungry, and glared at her with piercing red eyes. She then decided to leave the city to the creepy rat Pokemon and keep to the familiar valleys of her village.

She met a family of Swinub at her villages trading grounds and tried to barter wit them for a small square of stained carpet they had on display, but she had nothing that interested them.

Slightly discouraged, she returned to her den and drug a few branches from a nearby Spruce tree and scattered them on her floor, careful not to set any near her fire.

"_I guess this will have to do…" _she thought with a sigh.

Suddenly, she froze. What time was it?!

She galloped across her den and out her door, her eyes immediately scanning the sky. The sudden brightness stung her pupils, causing her to gasp as small tears ran down her grey face.

The sun was directly about her, in all of its bright and warm glory. She grinned, and hastily followed a well-beaten trail in the snow that let to the stream. She couldn't believe it! She had gotten so distracted that she had nearly forgotten about her plan.

With a sudden jolt of enthusiasm, Naira picked up her pace to a sprint as she flew down the path.

After a few minutes of sprinting, Naira made her way down the now gradually sloping path. He could see more and more leafless deciduous trees, and only a few pines dotted among them. The closer she got to the stream, the more heavily wooded the area became.

The scent of freshwater greeted her nostrils, coupled with a strong scent of Pokemon.

She inhaled the cold air deeply. Kione was diffidently at the stream, for his scent was the strongest. Her pulse began to race.

She slowly trotted around a bend in the trail when she heard splashing. She slowed her trot to a creep and ducked behind an oak tree.

"Ok, Naira, Just stay calm and casual," she whispered to herself. She took a large gulp of air, slowly exhaled, and casually padded out from behind her hiding spot.

There was a small clearing on the side of the stream. The stream bubbled and gurgled with life, its waters navy blue and frigid. Kneeling into the stream was Kione, on his knees and busily splashing water onto his face and cleaning his head feathers. Naira bent and silently walked up to the stream and sat up few paws away from were Kione was kneeling. She watched Kione, who still hadn't noticed her presence and continued to wash his face. Naira bent and started to lap the fresh, cool water.

Kione's ears perked, and he quickly turned his head towards her. His green eyes, wild with sudden panic, locked on hers. Naira's mouth hung open, water dribbling down her chin. Before Naira could say hello, Kione flew straight into the air with a yelp and landed about 7 paws out into the water. He was immediately soaked, his fur matted and poofed in areas like a frightened Persian's would. His headdress of feathers hung in his face and he flung it back with his claws, all the while coughing and sputtering.

Naira was on her back and laughing hysterically. It had been a long time since she had scared a Pokemon that good!

"You…that was…hilarious!" Naira gasped between laughs, tears welling in her eyes. Kione chuckled as he wadded out of the streams and shook most of the water off of his fur.

"I really wasn't expecting anybody to show up…and I heard a lapping noise, and BAM, you just seemed to materialize out of thin air. You about made me mess myself," Kione laughed, amusement twinkling in his eyes as he watched Naira fight to calm her giggles.

He shook his headdress out, spraying water everywhere.

"Hey!" Naira shouted playfully, pulling herself off the ground and shielding her face with a paw. "Watch where you're spraying that!"

Kione glanced at her, a gentle smile on his lips. Naira fought back the blush that threatened to spread across her cheeks. She cleared her throat loudly and comically.

"So, how's your life going?" She asked, smiling. Kione shook his two tail feathers out and settled down on a rock close to the bank. He smiled and gestured to another rock nearby. She eyed it, then walked over and tried to sit on it the best she could. She ended up perched atop of it like a gargoyle.

"Oh, you don't have to sit on that if you don't want to…" he trailed off, seeing her struggle. Naira looked at him defiantly and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine." She said. She wasn't going to show that she was physically different then Kione. She could do all of the things a biped could, and she was determined to show him that.

Kione cleared his throat. "Well, my life has been pretty enjoyable since we got back. I was able to find an old, unused den between a few rocks across the village. It gets a bit cold in there at night, even for an ice type, so I always have a fire going." He smirked and Naira nodded in understanding. He continued. "Food has been easy to find this year. All of the berry bushes around my den are doing great and still producing fruit, even in winter. I never have to go far for food when hunger strikes."

Naira nodded. "Yeah, I have noticed a greater number of berries this year, especially Rawst."

Kione nodded, looking down at the snow at his feet. "Things have been gong great for me," he said with a contented sigh. He picked a pebble up between his claws, fiddled with it, and then flung it with a quick flick of his wrist out in the stream. His motion looked effortless, but the rock sailed with much force as it hit the water, skipping three times before plopping in the water and disappearing.

"_Gosh, he must have some strength,"_ Naira thought in wonder.

As if hearing her thought, he turned towards her and locked his eyes on hers.

"How are _you_ doing?" he asked curtly.

Naira scratched her side with a front paw. "I'm doing fine. My den is coming along great, and like you said, food is easy to find. Just earlier today, I decided to try and hunt for a rug to make my den a bit more comfy-I didn't really have the best of luck though."

Kione laughed. "You went _rug_ shopping?!" he exclaimed in amusement.

Naira laughed. "Yep, I'm not gonna lie, I went rug shopping, or more like rug _hunting._"

Naira giggled at herself. She had been desperate for a temporary distraction, and that was all that had come to her mind at the time. Which reminded her…

She looked down at the snow around her rock. She really was curious about Kione and that Froslass. How would she bring the subject up?

She dug her claws into the moss on the rock. She was sick of beating around the bush. She was going to just bring up the subject, plain and simple. She looked up and snuck a peak at Kione, who seemed to be deep in thought as he fiddled with another pebble.

"I have a question, Kione." she said cautiously, shattering the awkward silence.

He looked at her, curiosity burning in his eyes.

She continued. " I heard a rumor from some gossiping Pokemon in the village that you were seeing a Froslass, Is... that true?" she murmured quietly, trying to hid the glumness in her voice.

Kione's pupils seemed to contract, and he dropped the pebble he was messing with.

"Gosh, I hate rumors!" he exclaimed with acid in his voice.

Naira's heart skipped a beat. Did that mean it _wasn't _true?

"That Froslass's name is Mirth, and when I heard her crying while I was looking for some fire wood, I went to see what the problem was. When I found her, she was a big pile of sobs on the ground. I came to her, helped her up, and asked her what was wrong. She explained to me that she was having trouble with her boyfriend. She said he had just gotten done yelling at her for how she still went and visited her ex boyfriend, but only as a friend. She seemed really depressed, so I stayed with her and tried to give her advice on how to handle the situation. After a while she cheered up quite a bit…it was odd. She seemed really interested in my head jewel…" Kione trailed off, unconsciously putting a protective paw over his head jewel. Naira didn't blame him- Weaviles seemed to get most of their uncanny speed and power from their jewels, and they generally were very protective of them. If a Weavile were to loose its precious jewel, they would be powerless and eventually wither away.

Kione looked her in the eyes and said with defiance, "So what you heard was indeed a rumor."

It then felt like an enormous weight was lifted off of Naira's heart. She gave an inner sigh of relief. _"But what about the hand holding I saw? Explain that!" _

She was about to ask that question when Kione began to speak again.

"There was something about that Froslass though…something strange. It was almost like she purposely tried to giggle at everything I said. It was like she was…acting or something. She was really open about things too… she kept staring at my jewel and trying to touch my claws. I usually don't think badly about other Pokemon, but she was just…creepy."

He put his claws around his arms and shivered. Naira had never seen Kione look so uncomfortable. She tried to look concerned, but inside her heart sung with joy and relief.

She was in a much better mood and happily chatted with Kione for the length of an hour. She threw all of her caution and nervousness to the wind and just acted like _herself._

She joked with him, and even unintentionally made him laugh. They were having a ball, and she began to feel like things were returning to the way they used to be with Kione – best buds.

Naira was skipping stones with Kione when she remembered something.

"Oh shit!" she exclaimed through clenched teeth, dropping the pebble she had in her paw.

Kione, who was wheeling his arm back to toss his pebble, stopped mid throw and looked at her, startled.

"What? What is it? Did you throw the rock wrong or something? I can show you how to toss it like a pro, if you want…" he asked, concerned.

Naira shook her head. "No, it's not that. When I came down here to get a drink, I forgot to douse my fire."

Kione smiled a little. "Well, that just means that your den will be nice and cozy when you return."

Naira shook her head vigorously, nervously pacing back and forth. " I forgot to mention to you that my den is in the base of a big pine tree, and I had just brought a bunch of Spruce branches inside to substitute my lack of a rug."

Kione's smile faded, and he dropped the pebbles he had collected to throw. His brow furrowed in concern." Do you want me to come along, just incase your den did catch on fire?"

Naira considered, then shook her head. " Na, you don't have to…you probably have better things to do, and it's probably not on fire anyway."

Kione's expression softened, and he took a tentative step forward. " I really don't have anything important to do, and I want to go with you, I you don't mind…" his voice seemed to get softer as he trailed off.

Naira turned around, making it seem as if she was deciding if she wanted him to go with her, and blushed. His eyes had looked so…so soft and loving just then. His voice, too…it made he swoon. That annoying nervousness returned, as well as the clammy sweat that accompanied it.

She turned and faced Kione, who was waiting patiently for a response.

"Yeah, you can come along. Just keep your head feathers away fro the fire, if their even is one."

Kione lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "You don't have to worry about that."

* * *

The trot to Naira's den was oddly quiet.

Kione kept just behind her most of the time, which was odd, because most of the time they went places together, Kione used to always race her and usually won. If it was a long distance race, however, Naira usually won.

Naira's neck fur tingled, and she felt as if their were eyes on her. She would shoot a glance behind her, and Kione would always be staring at the ground, a thoughtful expression on his face. Mystified, Naira looked straight ahead to and quickened her pace, hoping to get to her den soon. Things were just too awkward, even for her.

A few minutes passed, and Naira was at her den. The Pine tree she lived in looked fine, no smoke of flames, so she pushed her door aside and looked inside.

To her relief, her den wasn't filled with smoke or charred remains. Instead, her fire had died down to a small flicker, only giving off a dim glow of light.

Kione inched passed her an quietly entered her den.

"Niiccce," he said, looking around. "Its quite cozy in here and not on fire."

Naira threw a few dead pieces of wood on the fire from the stack of wood near the doorway. The fire brightened and began to crackle with life, its light chasing away the shadows and making them dance.

"Yeah, I was lucky." she said quietly.

Kione wandered around, testing her bed and looking at her various items lying about. He noticed a small cabinet and pointed at it with a claw. "Ah, I remember that. We found that when we went on our Snowpoint City dumpster-diving adventure." His eyes grew soft, and he chuckled.

Naira joined him. "Ah, those were the days…" she said wistfully.

"Yeah…" Kione murmured, looking lost in a distant memory. He blinked. "Too bad we aren't kids anymore. I really miss our adventures together. "

Naira stared at the fire. "Yeah, I do too. It would be looked down upon if we went on one now though."

Naira noticed his sudden silence and looked up to find that Kione looked slightly uncomfortable, shifting his weight uneasily on her bed.

She flushed, desperate not to ruin the bit of friendship and closeness she had managed to salvage between her and Kione. She was probably never going to tell him how she truly felt about him…she was determined not to destroy her relationship with him.

If that happened….then she would have nobody.

She quickly corrected herself. "I meant, ya know, it's a childish thing to do. Adventures are thought only to be for little kids."

At that, Kione seemed to relax a little, and he smiled a bit, staring into the fire.

It was silent between the two for a while as they watched the fire, its crackling the only noise in the den. Mesmerized by the fire, Naira's eyes grew tired as her thoughts drifted.

She was asleep before she knew it.

* * *

Her dream came fast.

_It was completely dark, and all she could hear were growls, screeches and moans. She panicked, the horrific noises seeming to echo inside her skull. The noises got louder and louder…Naira tried to thrash her body, but she couldn't even see her front paws it was so dark. The growls and screeches got so loud that she couldn't even hear herself shriek._

_Just when she thought her skull would split open from the noise, it stopped._

_She could only hear her own ragged breathing in the suffocating blackness._

_Suddenly, something tapped her shoulder._

_She whipped around and was greeted by a pair of unblinking, bloodshot, pink eyes._

_Before she could scream, she heard the most horrendous noise that had ever greeted her ears – a high pitched, unearthly, blood curdling scream that sounded like several creatures dying at once. The worst thing was, she knew who the scream belonged to- _

Naira was jerked out of her dream by a hard shake. Sweating and panting, Naira wildly looked around her den. The fire was still crackling, and Kione was knelt beside her, his face wrought with worry.

Naira settled back down on the floor, thankful that it was just a dream, her gasping slowing down to small pants.

"Naira, you were having a horrible nightmare." Kione said, his voice rich with concern. "I was watching the fire for a while, almost falling asleep myself when I heard you whimper. I got up to see what was wrong. You started thrashing around on the floor like Spinark were crawling all over you . You also started to growl and shriek, and mumble stuff that I couldn't understand. I tried to wake you up by saying your name and shaking you, but it was like you were stuck in your dream."

"I started getting worried…and you began to thrash even more…then screamed really loudly….and…and you said something…" Kione grew quite and stared at her, his face twisted in concern and pain. His eyes wouldn't leave hers, as if they were searching for an answer that she was sure she didn't know.

"_Was I really that bad…?"_ she thought, startled by how sharp his gaze was. She also felt a twinge of guilt for worrying him so badly.

Just then she became aware of a warmth on her side. She looked at her side and noticed that Kione's claw was there. She blushed as she stared at it, realizing that it had been there the while time.

"Um.." she mumbled, looking down at her paws, trying to hide her ruby blush.

Kione cocked his head. "Do you remember what your dream was about?" he asked curiously.

Naira stared at him blankly for a second, wondering if he was aware of were his paw was placed.

Shrugging the thought aside and clearing her throat, she struggled to answer his question.

"It…it was completely black and I couldn't see anything. " she began, groping for her dream memory. She had already nearly forgotten it! Why did dreams vanish so fast?!

"I…I couldn't even see my own body. I could just hear noises. I don't exactly remember what they were, but they were scary and loud. I remember feeling panicked…then…" she stopped mid sentence when an image of those cold, evil eyes popped into her head. They were hungry looking, as if they wanted revenge, or gore of some sort. They were full of hatred, and their irises were oddly pink. Naira shivered.

" I remember seeing this pair of weird, pink eyes. Whose ever those eyes belonged to, they sure didn't like me. I think they hated me and wanted to kill me."

Kione looked taken-aback for a moment, then the look faded. His brow was furrowed in concern.

"Anything else?" he asked.

Naira bit her lip. "Uh, um….well, I think I heard a horrible noise, like somebody screaming. I think I knew who was screaming, but I don't remember who it was. Then you woke me up."

Kione looked at the ground, his eyes darting back and forth. He slowly slid his paw off of her side.

Naira thought he looked a bit spooked. She sat up and faced him.

"…Creepy…" he murmured, his eyes still on the ground. He looked worried and a bit paled, like he had seen a Spiritomb in a graveyard. Honestly, why was he getting so upset about her dream? She had had nightmare before, but they never bothered her for more then a few minutes.

"Don't let it bother you, Kione. It was just a dream. It wasn't real." she said, trying to comfort him.

Kione slowly looked up, the worry beginning to fade from his expression. He looked her in the eyes and weakly smiled. "I guess…yeah, your right. It was just a dream."

He slid his claw off her side and stood up from his kneel, casually running his claws through is head feathers. His eyes still flitted around, and his fur still seemed a bit off color.

Naira watched him.

"Well, I've had a fun day with you, Naira. I had a fun time catching up with you, but I have to get back to my den and eat something and let you rest."

Naira nodded. "Yeah, I'm tired and its probably dark out and late."

Kione headed towards the door. He stopped at it and turned around. " You know were my den is, right?"

Naira thought about it, then nodded. She had seen the abandoned den before, and had even gone inside it before Kione had moved in. "Yeah, I know were it is."

"Well…if you ever need anything, just come by anytime."

Taken-aback by his kindness, Naira flushed. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

His smile slightly fading, almost with disappointment, he waved. "Bye, Naira."

When she didn't say anything back, he quickly turned and pushed at the door.

Her mind raced. She had to say something!

"Wait!" she shouted a little too loudly.

Kione stopped and half turned his head. "What?" he asked.

"I, um…do you wanna hang out tomorrow?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Kione was silent for a moment, then a smile crept across his face. Naira watched in astonishment as Kione's fur suddenly returned to its original shade. His head and tail feathers seemed to shimmer in the fire's light. He turned towards her and flashed a toothy, dazzling smile. His eyes sparkled with a light that put the fire to shame.

Naira would have audibly gasped if he hadn't interrupted her.

"Sure, that would be great! Do you wanna meet at the stream again?"

Naira was dazzled. What she had just seen was the real Kione – the happy, bubble Weavile of her childhood. A warmth caressed her heart.

"That's a good plan. The stream it is." said.

Kione pushed at the door. As it opened, he turned and waved enthusiastically.

"Bye Naira! See you tomorrow."

Naira waved a paw at him. "See ya!"

With that, Kione gently shut her door.

Naira listened to his hurried footsteps fade, a smile still plastered on her face.

She tossed a few large branches on the fire and padded over to her nest. She curled up into a tight ball then laid her head down on her paws. She sighed and closed her eyes.

Her plan to meet Kione at the stream had been a complete success! In fact, things had gone better then she had thought they would. Seeing Kione that happy had made her disturbing dream seem vague and unimportant.

She smiled, feeling a contentment she hadn't felt since she had first returned to the village with Kione.

With a yawn, she nuzzled her face into her large amount of neck fur.

The day had gone excellently…all she could do now is hope that the next day would be just as good.


End file.
